Physical Sciences Staff Awards & Honors

Congratulations to Dr. Steven Spurgeon, who
will receive a 2016 Postdoc Meeting Award from the Microscopy Society of
America and the Microanalysis Society at their annual meeting in July. His
winning paper, "Multidimensional Analysis of Nanoscale Phase Separation in
Complex Materials Systems," will be published in the meeting proceedings.
Spurgeon is a postdoctoral research associate at Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory.

His paper, coauthored by colleagues at PNNL,
North Carolina State University, Sandia National Laboratories, and Gatan Inc., describes
a multidimensional approach to predict and understand the relationship between
structure and magnetic properties in a model complex oxide. Such predictions
help scientists characterize and understand complex materials systems. The
ultimate goal is to deterministically engineer synthetic versions of these
systems.

The award includes registration for the full
Microscopy & Microanalysis (M&M) 2016 meeting and up to $1000 to defray
expenses. Spurgeon will receive his award at the Plenary Session and will
attend the Presidents' Reception, hosted by both societies' presidents. According
to the selection committee, they reviewed proceedings papers from more than 300
applicants, from which only a small number were selected for M&M Meeting
Awards.

Spurgeon received his Ph.D. in materials science
and engineering from Drexel University. His mentor at PNNL is Laboratory Fellow
Dr. Scott Chambers, who leads a research team focused on the properties of
"designer" oxides—materials that combine different atoms into solid
materials.